The Constitution/Urban CNY News online edition

It's time to register the handyman Posted on 07/11/08
Sometimes when we give advice we fail to follow it ourselves. This wasn't coined by some philosopher it's basic common sense that entraps many who are called upon at times to help someone out of a... More

Community failure: No time for Jubilee Posted on 07/11/08
It came as no great surprise when it was announced that the Vivian Teal Howard Facility (VTH) would be de-funded by Medicare and Medicaid in effect shutting down the Nursing Home. Several... More

Blue Bin It ! Posted on 07/11/08
It was early Friday morning when it happened. The knock at the door seemed like the entire Syracuse Police Department wanted in. The simultaneous action of banging and doorbell ringing sent the dog... More

The fighting “drones” from Syracuse Posted on 07/11/08
Before you get out your patriotic bunting in anticipation of unmanned flying drones stationed at Hancock there are several concerns that need to be addressed by Congressman Walsh and others. The... More

When Doves Cry Posted on 07/11/08
Growing up a couple of blocks from Thornden Park was an adventure in urban living accentuated by fond memories of walking up Harrison Street. Towering Dutch Elm trees created a shaded canopy past... More

Let's have another meeting! Posted on 07/11/08
I broke my promise and actually attended a TNT meeting at Delaware School recently and it reinforced my reasoning for not attending in the first place. Our Tomorrow's Neighborhoods Today is a classic... More

Get a home inspection Posted on 07/11/08
My roof looks as though a giant sat on it and left his butt mark. Since it was in an area that I never bothered to inspect, the extended sag went undetected until a friend noticed the concave action.... More

It's Juneteenth and I'm Free Posted on 07/11/08
Sometimes you write a column or story and you hope the information presented is not as it appears. So was the story about the Vivian Teal Howard Residential Care Facility. For those who don't know... More

Vanessa Williams: Always Miss America to me Posted on 05/11/08
Vanessa Williams will be in Syracuse this weekend to receive her degree from Syracuse University. And already those in the Internet bloggosphere have pounced on the fact that Ms. Williams left school... More

When "Wright" is Wrong Posted on 05/11/08
In recent months plenty has been written about the Black Church complete with snippets of Barack Obama Pastor Rev. Wright's sermons' all over the internet and television news. It ain't pretty... More

Removing Trans-fats from Local television News Posted on 05/11/08
Can someone please tell me why we have 90 minutes of local news? (Crickets chirping) I grew up watching local news anchored by the venerable Ron Curtis and nationally CBS' Walter Cronkite followed by... More

Little Kenny remembers Play Lady Posted on 05/11/08
I met Jean Daugherty when as a 14 year old Pompeian Player she interviewed me as the youngest cast member of "Show Boat." It was a friendship that lasted until her recent death. On one occasion... More

Uncle Tom's Cabin Posted on 05/11/08
Perhaps it's time to revisit remnants of past City of Syracuse mayoral administrations as we deal with the issues of diversity, nooses and vocalized anger rising from the Black community. The... More

Chickens coming home to roost at City Hall Posted on 04/06/08
Chickens have come home and are roosting on the front steps of City Hall. Perhaps those who make Housing and Community Development policy can now understand the feeling of hopelessness that permeates... More

Somewhere Over the Drumlin (Part 2 of Counting Crows)2) Posted on 03/11/08
(Inspired by Somewhere Over the Rainbow) Somewhere over the drumlin Way up high There's a 'hood that I heard of Once in a landlords cry Somewhere over the drumlin Skies... More

Counting Crows (Part 1 of 2 ) Posted on 03/11/08
I used to work in an office where one day the manager came to me in tears, "there are crows all over the front lawn. Somebody's gonna die." She was so shaken that she sat down and had to compose... More

You Have The Right To Remain Silent… Posted on 03/11/08
It's basic human behavior to want vengeance when aggrieved. When vengeance becomes part of government policy it becomes problematic. In his most recent budget Governor Spitzer increased financial... More

How they overcame Posted on 03/11/08
As we segue from Dr. King Day to Black History Month some have simply reduced the Civil Rights Movement to several acts and then poof! Like Jiffy Pop, "We Shall Overcome" and then Oprah. I've... More

Poll Dancing Posted on 03/11/08
First I couldn't find the polling place I'd been there before but I just can't find it in the dark. Hmmm? The effect of aging, these days I couldn't recognize a close relative on a dark rainy night.... More

When Good Faith Isn’t Posted on 02/22/08
Over several years the Syracuse community has witnessed a steady deterioration in the relationship between the city and representatives of Onondaga County. The most recent example of the... More

Shake Your Tambourine Posted on 02/22/08
When Time of Jubilee began there was concern that land speculators would flood the inner-city buying up parcels of land gentrifying the area. Land Trust was a concept that would create a disincentive... More

Carter G. Woodson and Why We Celebrate Black History Month Posted on 02/13/08
Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history. -Carter G Woodson Imagine a world in which... More

Cotton candy, candy apples and MLK dreams… Posted on 02/01/08
As Democrats on the national level debate the relevancy of experience, I cringed when Dr. Martin Luther King was mentioned and the attempt by the Obama forces to claim that Hillary Clinton down... More

I’m dreaming of a Christmas with Christ, hope and pound cake Posted on 12/18/07
Before Dr. Maulana Karenga’s invention of Kwanzaa, there was Christmas in the black community. Yes, Christmas, not Xmas, not the Holiday Season, but CHRISTmas. Traditions that date back to being... More

Fitz: He's - The Man Posted on 11/02/07
Early in my career as a journalist, I was a regular on Time-Warner Cable's Reporters Round Table. This was a biweekly program where I, along with Walt Shepperd of the New Times, Sheryl Nathans of... More

Reach out and touch somebody’s hand Posted on 10/26/07
It’s difficult to get a “read” on this year’s Onondaga County Executive race. Unconfirmed polls have Republican Joanie Mahoney up by 4 percentage points. The Magnarelli campaign has stacked up... More

Someone’s head should roll Posted on 10/26/07
As the primary election draws to a conclusion, it’s time to do some Wednesday morning quarterback analysis. Joanie Mahoney’s campaign resembled Roy Bernardi’s rise to power as Syracuse Mayor. But... More

Someone’s head should roll Posted on 10/26/07
As the primary election draws to a conclusion, it’s time to do some Wednesday morning quarterback analysis. Joanie Mahoney’s campaign resembled Roy Bernardi’s rise to power as Syracuse Mayor. But... More

The greatest generation Posted on 09/23/07
As I interviewed and listened to people of the Que Reunion reminisce about the past, it dawned on me that this group of black men and women endured the hardship of segregation the indignity of the... More

Deputy for the colored Posted on 09/23/07
It’s an annual event with landmarks so established that some people could walk the grounds blindfolded. That’s our New York State Fair. As you tour the grounds no one is aware of what it took to... More

Why you don’t see black people on local construction projects Posted on 07/05/07
Back in the 1980s, I had the opportunity to work in city government in the City of Syracuse’s Office of Minority Affairs. The goal of that office was to increase the capacity of minority businesses... More

Why someone’s children might get shot Posted on 07/05/07
I picked up pieces of paper left behind by those who rummaged through my car the other night. On a routine weekday morning, I was disappointed to discover someone had gone through the vehicle and... More

Onondaga (County Executive) Idol Posted on 06/11/07
In this week's column, just like "South Park" (but cleaner), any characters/characterizations real or imagined, visualizations and conjectured speech are for satirical entertainment purposes... More

Choice cuts with lamb and country vegetables Posted on 05/09/07
Like many Syracuse and Central New York residents I cringed when informed of the death of dogs and cats from something in their food. From rodent poison to plastics authorities still don’t know... More

Don Imus Situation: An Open Letter to Jim Reith Posted on 04/12/07
Dear Jim, I listened carefully to your show on Monday April 9 at about 5:25 p.m. Your conversation turned to radio shock jock Don Imus and comments he made about the Rutgers woman's basketball... More

“Don’t know much about history, don’t know much biology” Posted on 04/09/07
It’s Easter time. And like the Bunny, colored eggs and crisp church clothes for children, the budget for the Syracuse city school district is due. And just as in years before there’s the argument... More

Please … move on Posted on 04/09/07
Recent radio advertisements paid for by Moveon.org give us a real fish story…you know, telling a big one about the fish that got away? Moveon.org’s ad reeled in the listener providing a... More

A bandwagon with square wheels Posted on 04/09/07
There was a collective sinking feeling in the stomachs of those who supported our former City of Syracuse Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henry Williams. Recent revelations of corruption at the highest... More

Here comes the Weather Channel Posted on 02/18/07
Finally people can stop complaining about the weather. First it was, “It’s too warm.” Then, “it’s too cold” and “there’s not enough snow.” Now, it’s “We’ve had enough!” Living in Central New York... More

A taxing situation Posted on 02/18/07
When we live in Syracuse and most cities there’s a hidden assessment, a charge and some might go as far as calling it a tax on goods and service delivery in the inner city. From signage on faded... More

“He’s so articulate” and other things to consider during Black History Month Posted on 01/31/07
I brace myself for the inevitable achievements that will occur during Black History Month in February. Harvard Scholar Dr. Carter G. Woodson is credited with creating black history as a focal... More

Kennedy Square, The “Kiggins” Arrest and Your Local Neighborhood Corner Store Posted on 01/28/07
When you travel around your neighborhood, depending on where you live there are commercial businesses that have been there for generations. Corner stores, bars and restaurants in the commercial... More

Martin Luther King Jr. and the importance of non-violent social change or How to protest without looking like an idiot Posted on 01/28/07
As we celebrate another Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it’s important to remember the road taken to achieve what many take for granted today, our civil rights. Poll taxes, state laws designed to... More

Remembering Nancy Duffy Posted on 01/12/07
It’s rare that you get to work with people you admired growing up but I was fortunate enough having been influenced by Nancy Duffy. I learned what I know about The Onondaga Nation from Nancy... More

Baby Please Don't Go: A Tribute To James Brown Posted on 01/03/07
When Elvis Presley died I thought “how can so many people be moved so much by one man?” This week I learned the answer when news spread early Christmas morning that James Brown “the Godfather of... More

The E True Hollywood Story: Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Posted on 12/28/06
They made us sing this song in elementary school that sticks to you like hot oatmeal on a cold winter morning. "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer had a very shiny nose. And if you ever saw him you... More

A little hole Posted on 12/01/06
The elections are over. Now the Monday morning quarterbacking will begin. Revelations by Congressman Jim Walsh that he had "a little hole" in his heart because of the close election drew sighs and... More

My name is Ken Jackson and I approve this message Posted on 11/01/06
You'd have to be living under a rock to escape the barrage of negative campaign ads on display this election season. To add special flavoring to this "dish" personal attacks have taken on new meaning... More

Using bad paint against Congressman Walsh Posted on 10/01/06
I recall five years ago while working as Director of Development at the New York State Fair, I ran into Congressman Jim Walsh visiting the Pan-African Village. He didn't glad-hand vendors as Senator... More

Dog days of a Syracuse summer Posted on 09/01/06
With great sadness I watched as the late news showed visuals of dogs who'd been shot by Syracuse City Police. The dog pack had neighbors running for their lives. Thereafter a calm family friend... More

Little Jimmy's home (sort of) Posted on 08/01/06
It ‘s been a long ordeal for the Williams family, having to watch as their son who lives with Down Syndrome got caught up in the legal system. The ordeal that's lasted 17 months placed a strain on... More